Apparatus for selectively simultaneously cleaning, disinfecting and drying of surfaces

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for selectively simultaneously cleaning, disinfecting and drying surfaces which includes plate means having in the bottom side thereof arranged sponge means while passage means in the plate means communicate with fluid storage means for receiving the cleaning and disinfecting fluid and either lead to the sponge means or lead directly to the bottom side of the plate means for applying fluid to the surface to be treated in response to the establishment of communication between the fluid storage means and the passage means.

United States Patent 1 Kreihe July 31, 1973 APPARATUS FOR SELECTIVELY SIMULTANEOUSLY CLEANING, DISINFECTING AND DRYING OF SURFACES Inventor: Hermann Kreihe, Sterngasse 20, 52

Siegburg, Germany Filed: Dec. 2, 1971 Appl. No.: 204,165

Related US. Application Data Continuation of Ser. No. 867,775, Oct. 20, 1969, abandoned.

Foreign Application Priority Data Oct. 21, 1968 Germany P 18 04 2405 Dec. 6, 1968 Germany P 18 13 135.6

US. Cl 401/139, 401/190, 401/196, 401/24, 401/27 Int. Cl. A471 13/26, A471 13/30 Field of Search 401/28, 196, 291, 401/24, 27, 190, 137-139 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1960 Abdo et al. 401/24 3,565,541 2/1971 Vallis 401/190 X 3,184,781 5/1965 Hoxie 401/190 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 999,593 7/1965 Great Britain 401/ 190 Primary Examiner-Lawrence Charles Attorney-Walter Becker [57 ABSTRACT An apparatus for selectively simultaneously cleaning, disinfecting and drying surfaces which includes plate means having in the bottom side thereof arranged sponge means while passage means in the plate means communicate with fluid storage means for receiving the cleaning and disinfecting fluid and either lead to the sponge means or lead directly to the bottom side of the plate means for applying fluid to the surface to be treated in response to the establishment of communication between the fluid storage means and the passage means.

3 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PAIENIEDJUm I975 SHEET 2 OF 4 fee/y APPARATUS FOR SELECTIVELY SIMULTANEOUSLY CLEANING, DISINFECTING AND DRYING OF SURFACES This is a continuation of co-pending application Ser. No. 867,775-Kreihe filed Oct. 20, I969 now abandoned.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for selectively simultaneously cleaning, disinfecting and drying of surfaces. The cleaning and disinfecting of sur faces is nowadays effected by employing various methods. When large surfaces are involved, as for instance floors, the cleaning and disinfecting medium may be added directly to the cleaning water or may after the cleaning be sprayed onto the surface and rubbed thereinto. The drying is effected in most instances in a separate working operation. With small surfaces, for instance tables, handrails for stairs, or toilet covers, the procedure is similar. These methods have the drawback that not all working operations can be carried out simultaneously so that a considerable time is required to carry out the said operations.

In many instances, the individual operations, such as cleaning, disinfecting and drying are not carried out with the same care so that the goal proper of the work is not realized or is not fully realized. This applies in particular to the cleaning of toilet installations or other surfaces which are easily infected.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for selectively simultaneously cleaning, disinfecting and drying of surfaces, which is simple in construction and permits a proper carrying out of these operations.

This object and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a section through a first embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention without lateral guiding means.

FIG. 2 is a section through another embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention with lateral guiding means.

FIG. 3 represents a section taken along the line III- ---III of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a view of the bottom of a third embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a section through a further embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention. I

FIG. 6 represents a section taken along the line VlVl of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the apparatus of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a section through still another embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention.

FIG. 9 is a section taken along the line lX-IX of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the apparatus of FIG. 8.

The apparatus according to the present invention is characterized primarily in that the bottom side of a rectangular plate which preferably consists of a synthetic material is provided with grooves having inserted therein sponges of the same or a different structure for the cleaning and/or disinfecting medium and for drying, whereas the top side of the plate is smooth and is provided with at least one bore which leads preferably into a groove at the end of the plate.

Inasmuch as the apparatus according to the invention may also be used with small surfaces, for instance for the cleaning of handrails, toilet covers, sinks, or the like, expediently lateral guiding mean are provided. These guiding means may be created in conformity with a further development of the invention by extending at least two oppositely located end faces of the plate in downward direction. For such oppositely located end faces there are preferably selected those which are perpendicular to the grooves.

In order to realize a favorable cleaning and drying effect, it is provided in accordance with the present invention to design the various sponges so that their height increases in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the apparatus. Such an arrangement will assure that in particular the rear sponges which are provided for drying purposes are guided at a certain pressure over the surfaces to be cleaned and/or disinfected. With some special surfaces, as for instance toilet covers, it has proved particularly advantageous to design the rear wider side of the plate larger than the front wider side. The shaping of the outer contour of the apparatus according to the invention permits not only a proper treating of the front part of the toilet cover but also of the rear part thereof.

According to a further development of the present invention, it is suggested to apply the cleaning and/or disinfecting medium not through the intervention of the sponges to the surfaces to be cleaned and disinfected but to spray such medium directly onto the surfaces to be cleaned and disinfected. According to one embodiment of the invention, this may be carried out by applying the disinfecting and/or cleaning medium through capillary slots and/or narrow perforated bottom surface portions onto the surfaces to be cleaned and disinfected. The application is carried out in conformity with the invention by subjecting the chambers or cavities above the sponges which are filled with a cleaning and/or disinfecting medium to pressure by compressing the handle so that the cleaning and disinfecting medium leaves the capillary slots or the perforated bottom surface.

When employing a disinfecting medium or a cleaning medium or a combined cleaning and disinfecting medium, according to the present invention, it is also possible so to proceed that the handle of the apparatus according to the invention simultaneously serves as receiving container for the liquid medium while this handle through a passage or a conduit communicates with individual capillary slots or perforated bottom parts. By compressing the handle of the apparatus according to the invention, the cleaning and disinfecting medium will also then pass directly onto the surface to be cleaned and disinfected.

While the above described embodiment creates the pressure necessary for spraying th liquid disinfecting medium or cleaning medium by compressing the handle, the invention also provides the possibility to fill the chamber in the handle with a gas under pressure and to distribute this gas through the intervention of a manually operable valve to the individual chambers so that in view of the overpressure the cleaning and/or disinfecting medium passes from the chambers through the capillary slots or the perforated bottom parts onto the surface to be cleaned and disinfected.

The present invention also provides to design the chamber in the handle simultaneously with a cleaning and/or disinfecting medium and with a gas under pressure in conformity with the system of spray cans, and to connect said chamber through passages or conduits directly with the capillary slots or perforated bottom parts. By actuating a knob, the cleaning and disinfecting medium will be sprayed from the handle directly onto the surface to be cleaned and disinfected.

Referring now to the drawings in detail and FIG. 1 thereof in particular, the design shown in FIG. loomprises a plate 1 having grooves in the bottom thereof. Inserted into said grooves are sponges 3, 4, 5, and 6 of different structure. The grooves 2 shown in FIG. 1 have a U-shaped cross-section, but it is to be understood that the grooves may also have a different cross-section. Thus, for instance, the cross-section may be of a dovetail shape for retaining the sponges in the grooves.

According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, only the sponge 3 is permeated with a cleaning medium and- /or a disinfectant whereas the sponges 4, 5, and 6 function merely as drying sponges. The wetting or moistening of sponge 3 is effected by means of a bottle 7 which is inserted into a bore 8 in plate 1. Bore 8 is extended into the groove 2. In order to make sure that no excessive wetting of sponge 3 occurs, the bottle opening 9 is provided with a ball closure. The bottle 3 may be so firmly inserted into the bore 8 that it can be used as a handle.

According to the modification shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, plate 1 has its bottom side designed similar to that of I FIG. 1. However, the top side of plate 1 is provided with chambers 10, 11, 12 and 13 for receiving disinfecting and cleaning media. The chambers may be closed by individual covers or by a cover 14 common to all of said chambers. The chambers 10, ll, 12 and 13 communicate through passages 15, 16, 17, and 18 with the sponges 3, 4, 5 in grooves 2. In order to prevent the cleaning or disinfecting medium from continuously flowing into the sponges, the passages l5, l6, l7 and 18 may be provided with a closure 19 common to all of said passages or may be provided with individual covers adapted to be actuated from the outside. However, there also exists the possibility of designing the passages 15, 16, 17 and 18 with such a small crosssection that only liquid under pressure can pass through said passages into the sponges. The chamber walls 20, 21, 22 and 23 and the cover 14 are preferably made of yieldable material so that they can be compressed by hand for producing a pressure in the individual chambers. The embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is provided with guiding means 25, 26. These guiding means are obtained by extending in downward direction the oppositely located end faces 27, 28 of plate 1 which end faces extend transverse to the grooves 2.

According to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, the lateral guiding means 25, 26 are not parallel to each other but form an angle with each other. The front end 29 is thus narrower than the rear end 30. Otherwise the structure of FIG. 3 may correspond tothat of FIGS. 2 or 1.

The embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 7 comprises a bottom part 31 with grooves 33, 34, 35 and 36 on its bottom side. These groovescontain sponges 37, 38, 39 and 40 of different structure while the crosssectional shape of said grooves may differ from the shape shown in FIG. 5.

As has been mentioned in connection with FIG. 1, also with this embodiment the grooves may be, for instance, of a dovetail cross-sectional shape to assure that the sponges will be retained in said grooves.

The embodiment of FIGS. 5 to 7 furthermore cornprises an upper part 41 with chambers 42, 43, 44 and 45 for receiving disinfecting and/or cleaning media. The chambers 42, 43, 44 and 45 may be closed by individual covers or by a common cover 46. Fixedly connected to the individual covers or the common cover 46 is a hollow handle 47 of yieldable material, for instance, rubber, which has a hollow chamber 48 communicating with the individual chambers 42-45 through recesses 49-52 in the cover 46. The chambers 42-45 containing the cleaning and/or disinfecting media are by means of seals 53, 54, 55 connected to the cover 46 sealed relative to each other and by means of seals 56, 57 are sealed toward the outside. The said chambers 42-45 are through passages 61-63 in communication with the capillary slots 58-60. The said passages 61-63 are in the direction of movement of the apparatus according to the present invention arranged between the individual sponges 37-40. Instead of the capillary slots 58-60 there may also be provided perforated surface parts. Important in this connection is that the openings are so selected that the cleaning and/or disinfecting medium is sprayed onto the surface to be cleaned or disinfected only by a pressure produced by the handle 47. The handle 47 which serves as pressure producer is provided with an opening 64 in order to prevent said handle from being filled again with air without drawing in disinfecting and/or cleaning medium after the air has been expelled.

The embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 8-10 of the invention employs a handle 65 which is hollow and the hollow chamber 66 of which is filled with the cleaning and/or disinfecting medium and also with a driving gas. This embodiment makes use of the system of the well known spray cans or spray bottles. The handle 65 which is exchangeable is easily placed upon the upper part 67 the bottom side of which carries a sponge 68. In this way through the connecting passage 69 the cleaning and/or disinfecting medium may be conveyed to a capillary slot 70. By actuating a knob 71, the cleaning and/or disinfecting medium is sprayed from the handle 65 through the pertaining capillary slot 70 or the perforated bottom onto the surface to be cleaned and to be disinfected. The free space 72 which leads to the capillary slot 70 or the perforated bottom surface is so designed that it widens toward the bottom whereby the spraying effect will be aided.

The advantages realized by the apparatus according to the present invention are seen in the simple construction of the apparatus so that no manufacturing difficulties are encountered. The apparatus may be produced of any synthetic material adapted to be injection molded or to be made by foaming methods. In addition thereto, the apparatus according to the invention assures a proper cleaning, disinfecting and drying which operations can be carried out simultaneously.

The handling of the apparatus is simple so that it can successfully be employed in rest rooms or the like. The person using the toilet can easily and without effort clean, disinfect and dry the toilet cover by means of the apparatus according to the present invention.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present invention is, by no means, limited to the particular showing in the drawings but also comprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. An apparatus for selectively spreading liquid, which includes: a rectangular plate means having a top side and bottom side, a hollow chamber forming a handle and having a rectangular base separably mounted on said top side of said plate means, said chamber containing a pressurized fluid medium, said top side of the plate means having a passage adjacent one end leading to a recess in said end of said bottom side of the plate means, said hollow chamber having an opening through said base to said passage and a fluid control member in said chamber manually actuatable to control fluid flow from said chamber to said recess, said bottom side also having a recess between the opposite end and said first recess, and liquid spreading means in said latter recess for spreading liquid from said passage.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, in which capillary slot means form said passage means.

3. An apparatus in combination for spreading liquid which includes: handle means defining a hollow chamber containing pressurized cleaning-disinfecting media, knob means provided on one side of said handle means and operable from the outside of said apparatus, and a holder having a base of said hollow chamber mounted thereon and a perforated bottom portion in communication with passage means in said base having control means operable by said knob to control flow of liquid through said perforated bottom portion, through which cleaning-disinfecting media are supplied subject to control of said knob means and liquid spreading means in a recess in said bottom portion adjacent to said passage means. 

1. An apparatus for selectively spreading liquid, which includes: a rectangular plate means having a top side and bottom side, a hollow chamber forming a handle and having a rectangular base separably mounted on said top side of said plate means, said chamber containing a pressurized fluid medium, said top side of the plate means having a passage adjacent one end leading to a recess in said end of said bottom side of the plate means, said hollow chamber having an opening through said base to said passage and a fluid control member in said chamber manually actuatable to control fluid flow from said chamber to said recess, said bottom side also having a recess between the opposite end and said first recess, and liquid spreading means in said latter recess for spreading liquid from said passage.
 2. An apparatus according to claim 1, in which capillary slot means form said passage means.
 3. An apparatus in combination for spreading liquid which includes: handle means defining a hollow chamber containing pressurized cleaning-disinfecting media, knob means provided on one side of said handle means and operable from the outside of said apparatus, and a holder having a base of said hollow chamber mounted thereon and A perforated bottom portion in communication with passage means in said base having control means operable by said knob to control flow of liquid through said perforated bottom portion, through which cleaning-disinfecting media are supplied subject to control of said knob means and liquid spreading means in a recess in said bottom portion adjacent to said passage means. 